Enjoy free national park visits -- Here's how to save
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There are few travel experiences more distinctly American than a visit to a national park. Generations of families have piled into the station wagon (and now its modern cousin, the SUV) to road trip through iconic destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Great Smoky Mountains. And, new national parks are being added to the list all the time.
Related: 5 things to know about America's newest national park
National parks in the United States can be some of the most rewarding destinations for travelers to visit. Whether you have a toddler or a teen, or are looking for a rewarding solo trip, national parks offer a wide variety of travel experiences — from the educational to the more adventurous. It's no wonder the parks are often called "America's best idea."
There's even a new way to enjoy the national parks this year for less as the Every Kid in a Park pass intended for fourth graders has been extended to fifth graders, too.
This country's national parks can also be fairly inexpensive destinations. Of course, their growing popularity has raised prices, along with increasing crowds, especially during peak season. In fact, national and state parks have never been in higher demand than now, with travelers everywhere escaping to the great outdoors and wide-open spaces.
Fortunately, there are many ways to make a national park vacation more budget-friendly. Whether you're a beginner to national parks travel, or a veteran looking to cross even more parks off your bucket list, here are the easiest ways to save money when visiting America's national parks.
Get your fourth- or fifth-grader a free pass
Since 2015, fourth-graders and their families have been eligible for a free "Every Kid in a Park" pass. Valid from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, this pass provides fourth-graders and their families free access to all the National Park Service sites and many other federal lands.
For this year only, fifth-graders and their families have been added to the list of those eligible for a free pass to national parks and all federal areas. This is because so many school trips within these age groups to national parks were canceled last year due to COVID-19.
The application process for either the fourth- or fifth-grade pass is incredibly simple, though they are different processes. For the fourth-grade pass, go to the official website and have your child complete a few questions. A digital copy of the pass is then available for printing and can be traded in for a more permanent pass at many parks, if you prefer.
This year's special fifth-grade pass is available for printing here, with no questions required.
Visit on fee-free days
The National Park Service has several days a year when all national parks are entirely free to enter.
Fee-free days for 2021 include Jan. 18 (for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday), April 17 (the first day of National Park Week), Aug. 4 (to commemorate the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act), Aug. 25 (National Park Service birthday), Sept. 25 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 11 (Veterans Day). Speaking of servicemen and women, don't forget that veterans and Gold Star families receive free lifetime access to national parks.
Of course, the fee-free days can also be some of the most crowded times to visit many national park sites. The earlier you can arrive on a fee-free day, the easier it is to park and dodge the crowds. You may also want to seek out some of our nation's less popular and more remote national parks instead, especially since avoiding other people is an important precaution to minimize your risk of exposure this summer.
Related: TPG's safe travel guide: How to minimize risk on your summer vacation
Buy an annual pass
Even if you don't have a fourth- or fifth-grader, annual passes at national parks are still a great deal for travelers who plan to visit multiple park sites. The standard America the Beautiful annual pass is just $80. With per-vehicle fees to enter some of the most popular national parks, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone, as high as $35 per visit, you'll more than break even if you plan to visit even just a few sites in a single year.
The annual pass is valid to enter more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, from national parks to forests and a variety of public lands. My family was pleasantly surprised to find that our pass was even valid at a site like Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas, which is a National Conservation Area managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management.
One quirk of the pass is that it's good from the day you purchase it through the end of that same month the following year. So, it's possible to squeeze nearly 13 months of value out of a pass when timed properly (by purchasing it for use at the beginning of the month, for example).
If you don't plan to visit enough different parks to justify an America the Beautiful Pass, consider park-specific annual passes that are available in many locations. A few of these passes even cover more than a single location. The Crater Lake National Park Pass, for example, also includes admission to nearby Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California.
Related: Why you need this $80 National Park Pass
Make it a multigenerational vacation
If you vacation with grandma and grandpa, they can also help you get into national parks for less since their pass is good for whoever is with them in the car. The America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass comes with a one-time fee of $80 and is good for, well, life. It's an amazing bargain. Seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply at age 62, so many active seniors will get decades of value out of the pass.
Having visited several national parks with my children and my parents together, I also can highly recommend the multigenerational national park experience. Getting outdoors in the natural beauty of the parks is a great way for children to bond with grandparents and learn something along the way. There can be practical benefits as well. My husband and I, for example, have been the lucky recipients of grandparent babysitting for our younger child when we wanted to take our older child on a few more challenging hikes.
Just remember that most national parks charge entrance on a per-vehicle basis. If your multigenerational group plans to drive two cars into a park, you'll need two passes.
Related: The 19 national parks every traveler needs to see at least once
Visit Fee-Free Sites
While many parks charge entrance fees, a majority of sites managed by the National Park Service and related agencies actually don't charge a dime. Many travelers don't realize the extent of the free offerings. I highly recommend spending a few minutes on the National Park Service website and looking for free parks near your home or where your next vacation will take you.
For example, the nation's most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, is still completely free to enter. Two other national parks within easy driving distance of millions of Americans — Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio and Congaree in South Carolina — are both free as well. Additionally, most National Monuments don't charge entrance fees.
Vacation during Shoulder Season
The national parks have become increasingly popular in recent years, even before COVID-19. Demand for lodging far exceeds supply in some places, inflating prices during the high season for everything from hotels to activities.
For example, expect to pay well over $200 a night for very basic hotels 30 to 45 minutes outside the Yosemite National Park gates if you visit in July. Budget-conscious families should strongly consider shoulder season visits to find more reasonable prices. As a bonus, you'll also dodge crowds while saving some cash.
Because the shoulder season is different in every park depending on its location, geography and weather, chances are good you can find a national park destination that works any time of year. Try Yosemite during the early fall once the Labor Day crowds have cleared, Death Valley in the late fall before the winter rush starts or Bryce Canyon for spring break while the last snows are melting.
Related: 11 of the best national parks to visit during winter
Use hotel points to stay near national parks
Last but certainly not least, hotel points can be an important part of a budget national park experience.
National park vacations may not be an obvious choice for hotel points compared to a major city or tropical resort getaway, but there's value to be found around many popular national parks for the careful planner.
Most of the accommodations within the boundaries of national parks are managed by concessionaires such as Xanterra Resorts and Delaware North. Ordinary chain hotels are nowhere to be found.
And while you can use fixed-value travel points to cover these charges at times, these historic lodges are too pricy or, more often, just sold out. In those situations, there's value to be found near many national parks with the major hotel points programs too.
At Zion National Park, for example, the town of Springdale is just steps outside the park.
Springdale has several chain hotels where points travelers can redeem points without sacrificing location. The Holiday Inn Express Springdale - Zion National Park Area, for example, can be booked from 20,000 points per night and is one of the best-rated hotels in the area. It could be a great use of the award night certificate awarded every anniversary from the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.
And when rates soar to more than $250 a night (which they do in high season), redeeming IHG points can be a good value as well.
Related: Ways to use points to stay near national parks
Staying in Jackson Hole near the Grand Tetons affords a few options on points, such as the Springhill Suites Jackson Hole bookable for between 40,000 and 60,000 Marriott points per night on off-peak dates. This means that, on many dates, you could use the up to 50,000-point certificate you get each year after your card renewal month with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
You could also book the Springhill Suites very close to the entrance of Zion National Park for those same award price ranges.
Bottom line
National parks will probably continue to be one of the hottest vacation destinations for long after the pandemic is behind us. And though fee-free days are a great way to see these stunning natural spaces without opening your wallet, there are ways to save throughout the year. We are very glad to see free park access extended to fifth-graders through Aug. 2021.
Additional reporting by Summer Hull and Terry Ward.